Assurance of Conversion

Read

1 Thessalonians 1:2–10 (ESV)

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Opening Prayer

The Gospel is the Good News of God and Is Attested by the Resurrection.

The gospel came to the Thessalonians.

The gospel came in power...

And we’ll talk about that a little later.

The gospel in summary form is...

1 Corinthians 15:1–6 (ESV)

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

I could speak of the validity of the resurrection due to it being written about it while it could still be refuted...

While there were over 500 people who witnessed Him alive...

While there were 40 days of Him being among people after He died.

However, for this morning, I want us to assume the resurrection.

I want to go a different direction this morning.

The specific content of the gospel in cliff note, bullet point form is:

Christ died for our sins (the sins of the elect)

He was buried for three days.

He rose from the dead.

These fundamental truths to the gospel can be, and should be expounded on...

And the Bible does repeatedly.

However, they are the basic tenets of the gospel.

For the gospel to be believed...

One must hold to those tenets.

And the Thessalonians did believe.

So, since we can have assurance of the gospel by the resurrection...

We can also have assurance of our salvation...

Which is rooted in the gospel.

So, this morning I want us to see that...

You Can Have Assurance of Salvation

1 Thessalonians 1:4 (ESV)

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you,

This is salvific language...

Language that describes someone who has been chosen by God to make His own.

Someone chosen by God and effected by the HS to make alive from spiritual death...

Someone chosen by God to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

And, Paul says for we know...

What do you know Paul?

Two things that are so precious to the saints of God.

Paul knows, he says, that you are...

loved by God

chosen by God

Paul is saying that there specific evidence that can evidence that someone is a child of God.

And, seeing that assurance of salvation is something God wants us to have...

And that God has made a way for us to know...

We should want to know.

And, once we know, we should be on guard to look for and find this evidence in us continually.

Every Christian should be a student of their own heart.

Look with me at...

1 Thessalonians 1:5 (ESV)

5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

We notice Paul says we know you are loved by God and chosen by God because...

I want us to see...

The Impact the Gospel Has on a Person when Truly Believed

This wasn’t some speech in which all hearers leave better off, no matter their response.

This wasn’t some Continuing Education class in which the hearers left benefited no matter their thoughts on the message.

No, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ...

And, when it is effected by the HS there is a wake of change left behind.

Paul says, because the gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power...

The word here for power is dunamei

Acts 1:8 (ESV)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Something changed with the disciples when the HS came upon them...

They went from hiding in a locked room...

To preaching the gospel in the Temple courtyards...

And, boldly facing the very people who crucified Jesus...

The very people the disciples sought to avoid before power came upon them by the HS.

That same power comes upon the Thessalonians...

And any true believers to believe the gospel.

It is the effectual call of God on His people.

It is the effectuating of the New Covenant upon the Bride of Christ.

It is the taking of the heart of stone...

And replacing it with a heart of flesh...

To Believe God.

And in the Holy Spirit...

The HS came upon the Thessalonians powerfully when Paul preached the gospel...

And they received it with full conviction.

This means they received the gospel being absolutely persuaded of the validity of the truths therein.

Persuaded of their sinfulness

They deserve the wrath of God for their transgressions of God’s Law

They need the punishment for their sins to be paid for

They need a righteousness outside of themselves given to them

They need to be reconciled to God.

And, in agreement with these truths by the power of the HS...

They receive the gospel, believe the gospel with full persuasion of its validity and effectiveness.

So, first, a full persuasion of the validity/truthfulness of the gospel...

And how it relates to you, specifically.

Where do you stand?

Are you fully convinced of the truthfulness of the gospel...

And your need of it?

What is your relationship to the gospel?

Secondly...

Conviction of the Gospel Causes Us to Turn from Idols

1 Thessalonians 1:9 (ESV)

9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

This is Repentance.

Turning from sin to God.

And all sin is rooted in our pursuit of idols over God.

The first commandment of the ten...

You shall have no other gods before me.

The first and greatest command, Jesus said...

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Which means anything you put before God in importance...

Is an idol.

An idol is not just a little statue of some false god.

An idol is anything or anyone you rank as higher in importance than God.

And, so an idol can be a good thing that is given more importance than God.

When the gospel grips our hearts with power and full conviction...

We are made to see the incomparable beauty of God.

We are made to see the magnificence of His perfect character.

We are made to see the inexhaustible love of God towards His Son...

And through His Son, that same love towards His people.

When we are given new eyes to see such beauty...

There is no ignoring it, nor turning away from it.

We are enraptured and captivated by the beauty of God...

In the face of Jesus Christ.

So, secondly, we turn from idols...

And give God His rightful place of preeminence in our hearts, minds, and lives.

How is that going for you?

Where does God stand in your life regarding importance?

Finally...

1 Thessalonians 1:6 (ESV)

6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,

Suffering Does Not Turn Us Away from Christ, nor His Gospel

This is exactly what Jesus taught in the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:18–23 (ESV)

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

In actuality suffering causes us to not fall away...

But, to do something else.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 (ESV)

10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Why is there this affect on true believers?

Because we are convinced that the blessings of the New Covenant people...

Outweigh any curse that may come upon us in this fallen world...

Because of the fallenness of this fallen world.

Once you’re convinced of the gospel.

Once you’ve seen the beauty of the Lord.

Once you’ve known forgiveness, reconciliation, the peace of God.

You know nothing can compare to the promises that are ours in Christ Jesus.

And the promises that are still to come.

Our hope is not in the comforts of this life...

But, the reconciled presence of God in this life...

And, even more fully experienced in the next.

So, what does suffering in this life cause in you?

Does it cause a deeper longing for Christ to come?

Does it cause a deeper longing for sin to finally be removed from you?

This is what we look for in our hearts for assurance.

What Now?

If any of these proofs are not currently existing in your heart...

If you see the opposite of these proofs of conversion in your life...

Don’t panic.

Don’t fret.

Cry out to God.

Repent of your lack of conformity to Christ.

Repent of your lack of seeing the majesty of Jesus.

Put your faith in Him.

Be convinced of the gospel.

And cry out to the Lord for mercy and salvation.

He promises He will not turn you away.

Closing Prayer